On head coach Lindsay Leftwich’s birthday, her softball team delivered her a present — a 5-4 ACC road win. Senior first baseman Taylor Ensley delivered the Pack’s game-winning run in the top of the seventh with a solo shot over the left field wall.
The Wolfpack (23-24, 5-15 ACC) was up 4-1 in the top of the fourth before UNC-Chapel Hill (34-14, 11-9 ACC) scored three unanswered runs to tie the game. Ensley’s late-game heroics were enough to secure a must-win game that ties the series heading into Game 3.
Following the win, the Wolfpack sits just outside the field for the ACC tournament as the season crawls to an end. NC State will need a win in Game 3 if it wants a chance in the tournament, with its only ACC competition left being a series against Duke. A series win against the Tar Heels will not only be a confidence booster but set it up for a tournament berth if it can steal at least one game from the Blue Devils.
Before the Wolfpack could worry about any postseason clinching scenarios, it had to handle business in Game 2.
The Pack got on the board first in the second inning thanks to three consecutive singles loading the bases with one out. A fielder’s choice brought junior left fielder MaKayla Marbury across home plate, but that was all the Pack could get out of the situation. The Tar Heels responded in the same inning with a single bringing in an unearned run to tie the game at one apiece.
Neither team got a hit in the third inning, but each saved their hitting power for an explosive fourth. Junior second baseman Teagan Thrunk homered to left field, scoring two runs, and Taylor Ensley followed that up later with a double that brought her sister, sophomore right fielder Tori Ensley, across the plate to make it 4-1.
UNC didn’t take long to respond when first baseman Carlie Myrtle launched a two-run homer of her own in the bottom of the fourth to bring the game within one. The Tar Heels tied it in the fifth with an unearned run scored on a passed ball.
NC State only saw three batters get an opportunity in the sixth to break the tie once Tori Ensley hit into a double play as the third batter up. Junior pitcher Wynne Gore responded to keep it even, striking out two of the three batters she faced in the inning.
As the leadoff batter in the top of the seventh, Taylor Ensley hit a no-doubter on the second pitch she faced over the left field wall to score what would be the game-winning run.
It’s her 10th homerun and 28th RBI of the season, both good for third-best on the team. The senior has proven reliable at the plate this season with a 0.348 batting average and an OPS of 1.113.
The Wolfpack will look to repeat its winning ways on Saturday when it takes on the Tar Heels for a winner-takes-all Game 3. First pitch is set for 1 p.m.
